Judy Buenoano, born April 4, 1943 in Texas, known as the “Black Widow,” was an American serial killer who operated in the 1970s and 1980s.
Notorious for her cold-blooded crimes, she was found guilty of murdering her husband, son, and a boyfriend—motivated largely by financial gain from life insurance payouts. Despite the overwhelming evidence, Buenoano maintained her innocence, insisting she had never intentionally hurt anyone.
Her case captured national attention, both for the calculated brutality of her actions and the profound betrayal of her own family.
NAME: Judias Anna Lou Welty, Judy Buenoano
ALIAS: Black Widow
DOB: April 4, 1943
DIED: March 30, 1998
COUNTRY: Texas, United States
VICTIMS: 3
ARREST: January 11, 1984
SENTENCE: 1984 – Life sentence and 12 years in prison for two of her crimes. November, 1985 – sentenced to death.
IMPRISONED AT: Was imprisoned at Broward Correctional Institution
SPOUSE: James Goodyear
Where is Judy Buenoano now?
SENTENCE: Life sentence and 12 years – 1984 | Sentenced to death – November 1985
Judy Buenoano was executed on March 30, 1998 in the electric chair at Florida State Prison. Her death sentence carried out after she spent 14 years behind bars, and almost 13 of those years awaiting a death sentence. She died aged 54, as the first woman to ever be put to death in Florida’s electric chair.
It would take just four and a half years for another woman put to death in Florida, Aileen Wuornos was executed by lethal injection October 9, 2002 for multiple murders. None have followed them since.
Judy Buenoano filed numerous appeals in an attempt to overturn her death sentence, but all were denied: June 23, 1988 [2], April 5, 1990 [3], June 4, 1992 [4] – her conviction in each appeal was ultimately upheld.
- Mar 30, 1998 Judy Buenoano was executed in the electric chair
Mar 30, 1998 Judy Buenoano was executed in the electric chair at Florida State Prison
Judy Buenoano was executed on March 30, 1998 in the electric chair at Florida State Prison. “The prisoner was pronounced dead at 7:13 a.m. EST,” said prison spokeswoman Rhonda Horler, who witnessed the execution. “She made no final statement.” [1]
Judy Buenoano was the first woman executed in Florida since 1848 and only the third woman executed nationwide since the U.S. reinstated the death penalty in 1976. At 54, she also became the first woman to be put to death in Florida’s electric chair. [1]
CRIMES COMMITTED
Judy Buenoano perpetrated a calculated series of murders between the 1970s and early 1980s. Her crimes, fueled by financial motives, targeted intimate partners and family members—all for the sake of life insurance profits.
Judy Buenoano – ‘The Black Widow’ Victims:
James Goodyear – 1971
In 1962, Judy married Air Force Sergeant James Goodyear, and the couple settled in Orlando to raise their three children—a son, a daughter, and James’ adopted son, Michael. Just months after James returned from Vietnam in 1971, he began suffering unexplained symptoms and died shortly after being hospitalized. Initially deemed a mystery, his death was later revealed to be arsenic poisoning. Judy promptly collected the payouts from his life insurance policies. That same year, a suspicious fire destroyed her home, netting her another insurance windfall.
Bobby Joe Morris – 1978
In 1972, Judy began dating Bobby Joe Morris and moved with him to Colorado in 1977, bringing her children along. Just months after their relocation, Morris fell ill with mysterious symptoms identical to James Goodyear’s. Though briefly released from the hospital, he collapsed at home, was readmitted, and died two days later. When authorities later exhumed his body, they discovered arsenic poisoning – the same cause as Goodyear’s death. Buenoano collected payouts from three separate life insurance policies she had taken out on Morris.
Michael Goodyear – 1980
In 1979, Judy’s 19-year-old son Michael enlisted in the Army but soon developed severe arsenic poisoning after visiting his mother in Florida. Stationed at Fort Benning, Georgia, he experienced rapidly worsening symptoms – his limbs atrophied to the point of paralysis, requiring heavy metal leg braces and leading to his medical discharge.
In May 1980, Judy took Michael and his brother canoeing on Florida’s East River. When the canoe capsized, Michael, weighed down by his braces, drowned while Judy and her other son reached safety. The suspicious accident – coming just months after Michael’s poisoning – allowed Judy to collect money from his military life insurance policies. Autopsies later confirmed he had been systematically poisoned with arsenic, mirroring the fates of Judy’s previous victims.
John Gentry (Attempted Murder) – 1983
After Michael’s death, Judy opened a beauty salon in Gulf Breeze and began dating John Gentry, a Florida businessman. The couple became engaged, and in October 1982, Judy persuaded Gentry to take out $500,000 in life insurance policies on each other. Soon after, she gave him “vitamin C” capsules to treat a cold—but instead of improving, Gentry suffered extreme nausea and vomiting, requiring hospitalization. He recovered after stopping the pills, though he remained unaware of Judy’s poisoning attempt.
Months later, in 1983, Gentry’s car exploded in a parking lot, severely injuring him. The bombing—along with discrepancies in Judy’s background—triggered a police investigation. Authorities discovered the “vitamin C” she had given Gentry were laced with arsenic and paraformaldehyde. This revelation led to the exhumations of Michael, James Goodyear, and Bobby Joe Morris, all of whom were found to have died from arsenic poisoning. Until Gentry’s survival, Judy had evaded suspicion entirely.
CAPTURE & INVESTIGATION
The investigation’s breakthrough came in 1983 when John Gentry survived both arsenic poisoning and a car bombing. After months of unexplained illnesses – later traced to toxic ‘vitamin pills’ Judy had given him – Gentry’s car exploded in a parking lot.
Police determined Gentry’s car had been deliberately rigged with dynamite in the trunk, ruling out an accident. Though Gentry survived, the explosion left him comatose for days. Investigators interviewed his inner circle, including his girlfriend Judy Buenoano.
Buenoano suggested a disgruntled business partner might be responsible, but when Gentry awoke, he dismissed the theory. Instead, he revealed a strange, recurring illness that had hospitalized him six months earlier—violent stomach cramps and vomiting that coincided with taking “vitamin” capsules Buenoano had given him. Detectives had the pills tested.
A checkered history exposed the Black Widow
While awaiting results, they scrutinized Buenoano. Despite her polished reputation, a name search yielded nothing—until they discovered she’d changed her surname from Goodyear in 1978. Records showed her first husband, James Goodyear, had died in 1971 of alleged “respiratory failure.” The similarities between his symptoms and Gentry’s were striking.
The lab confirmed their suspicions: Gentry’s pills contained paraformaldehyde, a chemical used in salons. When Buenoano refused to cooperate, detectives intensified their probe. A search of her business uncovered paraformaldehyde, and wires matching the car bomb were found in her son’s room. Investigators theorized Buenoano had enlisted her son to plant the explosive—especially since Gentry recalled asking James to install car speakers.
Exhumations of bodies lead to arrests of Buenoano & Son
This discovery triggered exhumations of Judy’s son Michael, first husband James Goodyear, and ex-boyfriend Bobby Joe Morris. Forensic analysis confirmed all three had been murdered by arsenic poisoning. Remarkably, until Gentry’s survival brought scrutiny, Judy’s killing spree had gone entirely undetected.
A son cleared – A mother charged
Buenoano and her son James were arrested for attempted murder. To build their case, authorities exhumed Goodyear’s body in 1980. Toxicology reports confirmed arsenic poisoning, prompting the cause of death to be changed to homicide.
Despite being arrested alongside his mother for the attempted murder of John Gentry, James Buenoano was ultimately cleared of all charges related to the 1983 car bombing. The prosecution failed to prove his involvement in the explosive plot, resulting in his full acquittal.
After a year-long investigation, Buenoano was charged with the murders of Michael and James Goodyear, and the attempted murder of John Gentry—exposing her years-long killing spree.
TRIAL & CONVICTIONS
Buenoano stood trial in three separate cases between 1984 and 1985, resulting in convictions for each of her major crimes.
- In 1984 she was found guilty of murdering her 19-year-old son, Michael, by systematic arsenic poisoning and drowning, resulting in a life sentence.
- In 1984 she was found guilty of the attempted murder of John Gentry through poisoning and explosives, receiving a 12-year prison sentence.
- In 1985 she was convicted of first-degree murder for the arsenic poisoning of her first husband, James Goodyear, and sentenced to death.
Despite the overwhelming evidence, Buenoano maintained her innocence, insisting she had never intentionally hurt anyone. Her claims stood in stark contrast to the judicial outcomes, which painted her as one of Florida’s most notorious female killers.
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REFERENCES / CITATIONS:
- CBS News: Florida Executes ‘Black Widow’ – March 30, 1998
- Justia: Buenoano v. State: (appeal) – June 23, 1988
- Justia: Buenoano v. Dugger – April 5, 1990
- Justia: Judy A. Buenoano, Petitioner-appellant, v. Harry K. Singletary, Respondent-appellee – June 4, 1992
BOOKS ABOUT Judy Buenoano
Bodies Of Evidence
They thought they knew her well, the men who loved her…It was a fatal assumption. She was born Judias Anna Lou Welty to impoverished parents in Quana, Hardeman County, Texas in 1943…
TV SHOWS & DOCS FEATURING Judy Buenoano
Born to kill? S6.E5 – Judy Buenoano
The story of Judy Buenoano, the first woman in Florida to die in the electric chair. She was a killer so evil that her own son became one of her victims.
TV Series / Documentary | 2011
MORE ARTICLES ABOUT Judy Buenoano
A selection of interesting articles about Judy Buenoano, sourced and curated from around the web:
Florida Executes ‘Black Widow’
CBS | Author: CBSNews staff | March 30, 1998
‘A Pattern Of Evil’: Florida ‘Black Widow’ Killed Her Son And Husband Before Attempting A 3rd Murder
Oxygen | Author: Joe Dziemianowicz | June 19, 2022
“Very Scary People” on ID features Pensacola’s Black Widow killer Judy Buenoano
Pensacola News Journal | Author: Mollye Barrows | May 12, 2023
